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pho_ar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is an incredible retelling, recontexualizing of King Arthur legends that made my younger self smile with glee. Combining the legend with the tradegey with resilience and love that in so many ways mirrors the nobility of those legends.
I am not going to tell you anymore because you should simply read it. You won't regret it. 11/10 stars!
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Grief, and War
Minor: Rape
bookishspy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I had a lot of people recommend this story to me over the past year, and after finally reading it, I'm actually regretting not getting around to it sooner!
Bree is such a perfect main character. She is fun, smart, and has such a deep and real personality. She's not perfect and also had a temper when it was called for. She didn't just always let things slide right off her back as some mightβve. Her strength was the standout here.
Nick is such a sweet guy and always had Bree's back. I love that he had a little rebellious streak, but he knew when it was time to put that aside. He did surprise me with one of the fights where he hit someone who he knew was not allowed to hit him back, and that left me wondering if he might be a bit darker than he seems. The romance with him was perfect, just a little flirty and cheeky. It was super cute, but he clearly has a jealous streak.
Sel seems endgame to me. He has the dark and mysterious thing going on, plus a bit of that forbidden charm. He's also deeper than he first appears to be, and he seems to have a bit of a cheeky streak as well. I really want more of him.
While it is not heavy on romance and is more fantasy with a side of romance, the love triangle is certainly triangling, and it is hitting the spot. The jealous moments and then working together despite it, just perfect.
Now, if we get to the actual story, I will say this wasn't a perfect score for me, but it was close! The only thing that dragged down this story was how confusing the names and places got at times. We were thrown a lot of names and expected to remember who was who and where was where. I was winging it a lot of the time, and because of that, the bad guy reveal just didn't hit as hard as it should have.
Despite that, this was so unique and exciting! It was also heartbreaking and hard to read at times that involved heavy doses of racism and sexism. Sometimes, I wanted to climb in this book and yell at some of these characters for their bigotry, which is a testimony to how well written this story was. I was enthralled and binged this as fast as I could, and I think I'll move immediately to the next book in the series.
I would highly recommend this fantasy book!
β π.π π¬πππ«π¬
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Slavery, Car accident, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Kidnapping, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment
punchmerowan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
knockoffrainbow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Vomit, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
kaylokay_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Alcohol
theaceofpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Honestly, I was a little disappointed by this one. Don't get me wrong, it had good and important ideas, but I just really struggled to get into it properly. Maybe I'm just too old for it since I found a lot of the characters a little frustrating. I'm not saying that's a bad thing as they are teens and teens do act in the ways the characters did, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to get annoyed by them at the same time. I think younger me might have enjoyed it though so I'm going to skip rating it since it might just be me being the wrong age/ in the wrong mental space for it.
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
normanrockwell7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Grief, and Death of parent
reviewsandreadathons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, and Slavery
tetrootz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, and Acephobia/Arophobia
midnightverde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Infidelity and Rape